21.9.13

Borgman of Alex van Warmerdam, just a perfect anti-Hollywood movie

“Borgman” is inventive as to how it builds a
contemporary modern allegory of political insinuations and compact as to how
its concise structure serves both plot and narrative. Alex van Warmerdam, the director and writer of Borgman, did not
distinguish allegory from symbolism while talking to his spectators in Athens,
yesterday night- and what for, really?-. However, the spectators may see an
allegorical value in his film. If Ihab Hassan, the American literary theorist,
saw ‘‘Borgman’’, he would feel dizzy where to place it, in Modernism or Postmodernism.
This is a definitely witty and cerebral film-making, from which the exceptional
interpretation of Hadewych Minis (Marina) illustrates the movie subject better
and marks it as one of the best choices of the 19th Athens International Film
Festival “Nychtes Premieras” for this year, 2013.

Just from scratch we see people living in land
drawers, earth boxes. In a while we observe one deprived man looking for
shelter in a rich –in appearance- family; his desire is to find a bathroom and
have a shower. He is a stranger but claims to be treated as a guest. After the
first and absolute denial of the husband, Richard (Jeroen Perceval) to fulfill
the man’s request, followed by strong beating, his wife Marina (Hadewych Minis)
starts helping the stranger gradually, in an attempt to feel well with her
conduct, even though this man is more or less an invader with her own consent. Here
the story comes. The man communicates with animals and he is the forerunner of
Camiel Borgman (Jan Bijvoet), the new gardener that will be on duty after a
sequence of murders and dead heads in ciment down the water. The plot implies
the manifestations of the modern way of life that disregard the essence of
nature role, whilst nature has deeper impact on human reaction.

We notice the presence of three during the whole movie but not by chance. The gardener
is the husband’s choice and only after his approval, he starts working. It is
clear that the number “three” provokes not only our interest in the narrative
but also it calls upon to assumptions in a more general context; it stirs
participation and brings antithesis. It is of “political” value. However, a
close look to Ihab Hassan features’ list of Modernism and Postmodernism could
make us consider “Borgman” as a modern film that took advantage of the postmodern
features.

I would not say that “Funny Games” of Haneke
gave Alex van Warmerdam the inspiration to create his own
story. But I could say that this is a very good chance to stay unmoved,
excited, and passionate by the film atmosphere without thinking anything that
relates to sophisticated assumptions. It is a movie, which surpassed the whole
of theories- what we have read and seen already- in order to find a place in
culture instead of mixing things together. This is the reason why I loved
Borgman. It is compact and inspiring.